About placements of sex offenders

Hanover residents apparently have won their case. Their objections to the placement of two violent sex offenders in a house in this hamlet finally hit home. Better late than never.

The state has announced that it will not renew its lease on a ranch-style home on Mill Street. One of the two offenders placed there last summer died in November. The second will move when the lease expires March 31 if not sooner.

Granted, once such offenders have served their time behind bars, the state must place them somewhere. The state reasoned that the Hanover home fits its parameters. It isn’t near a school or licensed day care.

Hanover residents, however, wondered about the logic of placing them in an unincorporated community with no direct law enforcement. More than 100 residents packed the Plymouth Town Hall last spring to raise objections when plans to place the two men in Hanover were announced.

To what can we attribute the state’s reversal of this decision? We’ll share our perspectives in our editorial Tuesday.

Greg Peck can be reached at (608) 755-8278 or gpeck@gazettextra.com. Or follow him on Twitter or Facebook

Greg Peck can be reached at (608) 755-8278 or gpeck@gazettextra.com. Or follow him on Twitter or Facebook.